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Summary: Published by Save the Children UK and Sweden on behalf of the Alliance. Below are some examples of initiatives taken by disability and child rights advocates to raise awareness of the rights of children with disabilities and promote the recognition and realisation of their rights. The case studies form part of "See Me, Hear Me", the first book to look at how this Convention can be used to support disabled children, alongside the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. See also: _______________________________________________ MENU: Nepal - El Salvador - Montenegro Note: How you prioritise activities will depend on the political, social, economic and cultural context in which you are working. The value and impact of the initiative is evidenced by the fact that 68 listener clubs have been started all over the country to follow up the issues raised in the programmes. It is estimated that well over 50 per cent of households in Nepal have access to radio, so it is a highly accessible medium of information for the majority of the population. Nepal: Save the Children's 'Voice for Education' Project Voice for Education is a project initiated by were in school, they began to serve as role Save the Children in Nepal using role models models for other families. The project now of children with disabilities who had successfully works by using community motivators to overcome discrimination, poverty and immense bring forward children as role models to share physical and social barriers to become high their stories and advise other communities. academic achievers. Initially, the project These children talk to other children, identified key individuals in villages to mobilise government officials, parents and the media. support for encouraging parents to send their The scheme is now operating in 32 villages children with disabilities to school. Once some in three districts. In El Salvador, a regional collaborative programme was set up between the government and local communities to raise awareness of disability, promote social inclusion and improve access to healthcare. In one project, initiated by a doctor working in a local health clinic, a local committee was formed, consisting of parents of children with disabilities, teachers and community and religious leaders. A government agency provided the members of the committee with basic training, comprising one day each on identification and assessment of disability, exercises for muscular control and flexibility and the development of therapeutic tools for manipulation and exercise. The Committee members then applied these skills in offering help to members of their community. They fundraised to get wheelchairs, hearing aids and other assistive devices needed by local children with disabilities, as well as adults. They also worked with local schools to challenge The project was not without problems. When it began, members of the Committee, primarily women at that stage, faced huge hostility from many families. Some parents did not want to talk about their disabled child – they were ashamed and wanted to keep the child largely hidden from view. They resented suggestions that the children could be helped, both through assistive devices and through education. Other hostility arose from men in the community, resenting women organising together. Many committee members dropped out, unable to face the aggression and abuse they faced. However, a core group persevered and the Committee is now widely accepted and valued. At a meeting of the Committee to present their work, a number of women expressed their immense gratitude to the project for the support it had provided. Some spoke of how the exercises they had been taught provided the first pain relief they had experienced in years. One woman talked of how her child had finally been placed in the local school and it had transformed her life – once written off as ‘incapable and defective’, the girl is now learning to read and write, making friends for the first time in her life and acquiring social skills. El Salvador: The 'Defensorías' The Council for the Human Rights of Adolescents in El Salvador is a group of 150 young people aged between 16 and 22 years who work as ‘defensorias’ of children’s rights. The group comprises both disabled and non- disabled young people and their work involves promoting their rights, monitoring compliance and advocacy on individual cases. They teach both children and adults about the concept of children’s rights and encourage children to exercise those rights. They also advocate in the public policy field to achieve greater compliance with the principles and standards of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Montenegro: Advocacy to promote inclusive education The National Action Plan for Children, 2004, states:“Montenegro has committed itself to improving the approach to the high-quality education for all boys and girls, from the infant nursery to the secondary school, and to enabling everyone equal access to the education system, with special focus on the children from national minority and ethnic groups and children with special needs. It is expected that the number of special needs children will have increased by 2010, specifically
Case studies of advocacy initiatives taken to promote the implementation of the rights of children with disabilities.
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Nepal: Radio programme
In Nepal, one NGO has sought to fill the gap left by government by broadcasting a weekly programme on public service radio, which gives up-to-date news on the situation of disabled people and their rights. Children with disabilities are also invited to express their views on air. It is estimated that the programme reaches up to three million people who would otherwise have no information about disability. It is backed up by the distribution of 4,000 copies of a monthly magazine giving information about the lives of disabled people and how they have overcome barriers to achieve their goals.
El Salvador: Government and community collaboration
prejudice against children with disabilities and get places for all the local children with disabilities in those schools. And they undertook mapping exercises to build up an accurate database on all disabled people in the community.
by five per cent a year in the preschools and by 25 per cent a year in the inclusive classes.” Additionally, from 2005, the Ministry of Education decided to introduce the subject of inclusive education in the Faculty of Philosophy and departments for the education of preschool and school
teachers and other educators.